James Forsyth is former political editor of The Spectator.
I’m pro-cake and pro-eating it’, Boris Johnson used to quip. But now he is in a hideously difficult position as he tries to balance the needs of public health and the economy. He is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t, I say in the magazine this week. Starmer’s decision to call for
Boris Johnson used to be defined by his commitment to having his cake and eating it. But now he isn’t having any cake, let alone getting a chance to enjoy it. He is in a hideously difficult position as he tries to balance the needs of public health and the economy. There are no good
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A paper to be published by Sage scientists today claims that more than 7,000 lives could be saved if the government imposes a two-week ‘circuit breaker’. With Keir Starmer today saying the policy would be in the ‘national interest’, Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth about whether Boris could put Britain into
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New documents from Sage show minutes from late September in which scientists advised a circuit breaker lockdown. It’s clear that the government didn’t take that advice. So is No 10 no longer ‘following the science’? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth.
Chris Whitty made clear at tonight’s press conference with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor that he doesn’t think that the tier three restrictions are enough to get on top of the virus in the worst hit places. He was explicit that local councils will need to go even further in terms of closures in
Today’s statement by Boris Johnson was a reminder of how difficult the politics of this second wave is going to be. In the first 50 minutes, there were only two Tory soft balls to the PM. The other questions from his own benches all had a degree of scepticism in them, and some were clearly
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A three-tier system of coronavirus restrictions is set to be announced today, but the government is still locked in negotiations with local authorities over the financial support they will receive if they are placed at the highest level. With a growing number of Tory backbenchers coming out against harsher measures, could the new system backfire
Keir Starmer’s political position is stronger than people would have expected a few months ago. The improvement in Labour’s poll position is giving him more personal authority within the party, allowing him to move on from the Corbyn era faster than expected. ‘The Labour party has the smell of power in its nostrils now and
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Today the Chancellor will announce new economic packages targeted at the areas under lockdown. But will the measures go far enough to save businesses, already under strain? Katy Balls talks to Kate Andrews and James Forsyth.
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In this second round of restrictions, the lockdown is no longer national. But a regional approach is full of political perils (00:45). Plus, the real reason to be disappointed in Aung San Suu Kyi (12:50) and is Sally Rooney’s Normal People just overrated (26:15). With The Spectator’s political editor James Forsyth; Middlesbrough mayor Andrew Preston;
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Overnight, news broke of the three-tier system that the government has in store for the country. First to be put into the strictest tier is likely to be large parts of the North of England, from next week onwards. Cindy Yu discusses with Katy Balls and James Forsyth the political fallout over the next few
When the lockdown tiers are announced, it is inevitable that huge swathes of the north will be under much tighter restrictions than the south. It is not hard to see how a divided Britain translates into political trouble, as I say in the magazine this week. Labour and northern leaders will claim that support packages
‘From this evening, I must give the British people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home,’ Boris Johnson declared on 23 March. At the beginning of the pandemic, when infection levels first began to rise, the country was all in it together. The prescription was a national one, and the Prime Minister
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Nicola Sturgeon today announced that 3.4 million Scots will be placed under increased Covid restrictions, with bars and restaurants shutting across a central belt which includes Glasgow and Edinburgh. What’s behind the crackdown, and could similar measures be announced in England? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
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Boris Johnson gave his headline speech to an empty hall in the virtual Tory conference today. But despite promises to ‘Build Back Better’, was the speech overlooking the country’s immediate troubles? John Connolly talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
Boris Johnson’s whole rhetorical style is designed to elicit a response from the audience. So there was something particularly bizarre about him delivering his conference speech to an empty room. At one point, Johnson even imagined how the delegates would be reacting to his announcements if they were there. The speech was a deliberate attempt
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More than 15,000 positive tests were missed in a test and trace blunder, it was revealed today. With the government announcing a new ‘traffic light’ local lockdown system later this week, will the new measure be overshadowed? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Kate Andrews.
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The SNP has had a torrid week as the inquiry into Alex Salmond’s trial came to a head, topped off with MP Margaret Ferrier’s Covid breach. But Nicola Sturgeon has not sustained damage – so is there still any hope for Unionism? Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and Stephen Daisley, with a cameo appearance
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Margaret Ferrier has admitted that she travelled across the country despite having tested positive for Covid. Given that the SNP has had some of the strictest rules on lockdown, has this threatened the party’s reputation? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth.
An event where multiple generations gather indoors, exchange gifts and drink alcohol having travelled from far and wide sounds like a nightmare in coronavirus terms. On this basis, Christmas is one event that should definitely be cancelled. But, as I say in the Times today, regardless of whether they are hawks or doves when it comes